


Values

by Myrridia_of_Interests



Category: Persona 5, Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Akechi Goro Lives, Akechi Goro Redemption, Akechi Goro plays the Reapers Game, Akira will only appear way later, M/M, My plan for her is eventual futago siblings without... the murder y'know?, Not A New Day (TWEWY) Compliant, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Pining, Self-Indulgent, That OC is his first partner, more like someone who doesn't even speak english as a first language, no beta we die like men, oh about that akeshu, or does he?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:54:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27656453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myrridia_of_Interests/pseuds/Myrridia_of_Interests
Summary: When Akechi Goro woke in the middle of Scramble Crossing, Shibuya, he wanted to gloat, to laugh.To tell the world to suck it, to sneer and rub into Maruki‘s face that he didn‘t need a distorted reality for a second chance at life. This time he‘d be brought back on his conditions. He wouldn‘t be controlled like a puppet anymore and if anyone dared he would tear them apart.He just had to win the game, no? Fine by him. He was bad at losing, anyway.And if he had to trick a partner into trusting him, well he had a lifetime of experience.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26





	1. A Second Offer

**Author's Note:**

> So this is what happens when I write in secret and just decide to post things on a whim. I cannot make any promises sadly and this might not be anyone's cup of tea, but I'm having a heck of a spontaneous time. Grammarly is my beta in this sooo... 
> 
> Anyway, hope the very few that might take an interest in this enjoy?
> 
> I also super hope that OC won't be a hate sink. I'm taking liberties with her which I perhaps should not have.

_Answer truthfully, Akechi Goro. Do you want to live? Would you turn down a second chance if it was given to you?_

.  
.  
.

  
See, Akechi always believed death to be something permanent. He expected to be dragged into blissful ignorance and painlessness (after the excruciating pain, of course) as he was shot in the engine room. He expected to simply… cease as soon as they dealt with Maruki‘s distortion.

None of it stuck, really. He should have figured.

Those that did not deserve it somehow survived like the disgusting cockroaches that they were. They stuck around, hard to kill, despite how cleaner the world would be otherwise. Not that Akechi cared, or ever chose to do anything for the greater good. He always had goals and took any action necessary to reach them.

He did not have a death wish either, contrary to what Akira might believe. He, truly, did not want to die, but it certainly was favorable compared to being one of Maruki‘s pretty little marionettes, guided by invisible choking strings in that man‘s twisted version of reality.

„Any questions? Shouldn‘t be too hard. Make a pact, use psychs, finish your missions in the given time limit and survive until the end,“ a gruff low voice, summarized in monotone.

The question brought Akechi out of his musings and back into the unrealistic interrogation room he‘d found himself in after agreeing to play the Reaper’s Game. A stark blue light shone on a block of either polished onyx or deeply black colored glass. Reflecting his countenance and the tall spindly humanoid seated across from him. His maroon eyes traveled to the voice‘s owner.

This hooded, spiderweb-winged figure carelessly droned out a very important rundown of the rules that the alleged “Reaper’s Game” had to meticulously follow. This figure was also already sorely sick of it, Akechi could tell. Not particularly faith-inspiring, though Akechi was immensely skilled at fending on his own. The former detective hummed, soft, dipping his voice purposefully into honeyed octaves.

„It‘s quite easy to understand, Reaper-san,“ he answered, waiting for that breath of relief to come before adding. „I do have a question, however.“

If looks could kill, nothing would have happened, since Akechi understood that he was technically considered dead right now. The intent in those eyes was still quite impressive. He merely smiled, the innocence on his face completely faked.

„Well, spill Player. What the fuck else do you want to know?“ the Reaper growled.

„I understand that my entry fee is something important to me, yes? I would just like to confirm again that my free will would be in any way or form taken from me or otherwise obstructed. This would be non-negotiable, you see.“

There was a bark of laughter from the Reaper, not amused but patronizing and condescending. Akechi already hated him and had to actually maintain concentration for once to keep his expression pleasant.

„Don‘t think there‘s any leeway to negotiate for you here. Do you understand we‘re technically giving you a get out of death free card?” he muttered, his voice an interesting shade of disbelief. “Lucky for you it ain‘t anything like that.“

Akechi couldn’t think of anything else that he cared particularly deeply about, but it was their loss. The former detective also knew that any more probing could put him into a very precarious situation.

As far as he understood the players were selected from a rather large pool, by either mere convenience or fascination of the Game Master. Akechi could very easily fall from these Reaper‘s graces. His smile strained in tension as he contemplated this, however, there was no other choice. This was his chance to return to the living and he would, even if he had to claw his way out, thrashing and screaming.

He smiled all teeth. „Very well. I feel adequately prepared.“

„Good,“ the reaper muttered. „Now go the fuck to sleep.“

Akechi knew no more.

* * *

As soon as he opened his eyes again all his senses were practically assaulted all at once. A loud swell of murmurs, alone quiet, but altogether almost painful was all he could hear. The streets surrounding him have filled with people all around. Walking hence and forth, all busy, all lost in their own little worlds. Worlds mostly compressed in the digital devices in their hands they stared so intently at. 

The sun was beating down mercilessly, bleaching the scenery, buildings that vied for attention casting so much larger shadows because of it. The most notable one of them, of course, 104, all streets leading to it in one way or another. Most of the building was taken up by a giant screen, red bold letters reading “YOU HAVE SEVEN DAYS” and directly in his line of sight. As soon as he cleared all black spots and flecks of light burned into his retinas, at least.

He stood up slowly, removing dust from his pea coat and combing fingers carefully through silky wavy hair. Despite what he expected he felt no pain, just a numbness that came with losing something that you took for granted. A gaping emptiness spread through his body which stood unnaturally still, though it was easy enough to get accustomed to it. Easier than it probably should.

He didn’t bother calling out to anyone, knowing it was ultimately useless, regardless of whatever reality he resided in.

When Goro Akechi woke in the middle of Scramble Crossing, Shibuya, he wanted to gloat, to laugh.

To tell the world to suck it, to sneer and rub into Maruki‘s face that he didn‘t need a distorted reality for a second chance at life. This time he‘d be brought back on his own conditions. He wouldn‘t be controlled like a puppet anymore and if anyone dared he would tear them apart.

He just had to win the game, no? Fine by him. He was bad at losing, anyway.

And if he had to trick a partner into trusting him, well he had a lifetime of experience.

Right on cue his phone rung in three, crisp, familiar notes. A quick glance revealed a crude message.

_Reach 104. You have sixty minutes. Fail and face erasure._

_\- The Reapers_

Over-dramatic in its simplicity. He felt mildly reminded of the phantom thieves calling cards.

He almost didn‘t notice the burning sensation eating into his palm.

It might have even hurt if he didn‘t already experience what a bullet burying itself into your flesh felt like. His gaze traveled down as he put his phone away and took off his glove. A timer was ticking away on it, slowly, but surely.

59:52

Well, that told him all he needed to know. Time to find someone to beat manifestations of people’s negative emotions with, all in a space that the common person could not perceive, of course. 

‘How new,’ he thought sardonically.

He did wonder if he actually was able to summon his persona to kill what that Reaper called Noise. He knew he wasn’t exactly in the Metaverse, but the Underground was another layer of reality, logic would dictate they were connected. ‘Perhaps…?’ He closed his eyes.

“Persona!”

Hereward couldn’t respond to his call, though Akechi felt him trying to. Cognitive occurrences were hard to put in worldly terms, but if he had to describe it, it was reminiscent of him trying to bash his head through a wall. Very well, he was limited to the abilities given to him by the game, then. He still felt moderately confident in his ability to win it.

On the other hand, Akechi should have known he shouldn’t have distracted himself while in unknown and dangerous territory. So the slashes of fiery and sharp pain that he suddenly felt on his calves came as a surprise when it really shouldn’t have.

“Shit!” he cursed, whirling around immediately.

Coming face to face with frogs. _Frogs._

Frogs with spindly, jagged limbs, as if they manifested out of the graffiti that littered the walls of Shibuya. Swirls that could apparently cut deeply into his skin. They were weakling frogs, nonetheless and he wanted to crush _this pathetic scum_ for having the audacity to strike him this easily. 

Knowing he was practically useless without a partner however had him turn around and run away from these manifestations. Seeking the safety that 104 promised, his face burning in shame and anger, expression distorted into a sneer.

The people that littered the crossing never halted or looked as the former celebrity detective ran for his non-existent life in one of the most traversed parts of Tokyo. They all became a blur at that point. Faceless silhouettes, that were as worthless as always, it seemed.

“NO! No, fuck you! And you! And _you in fucking particular._ NOPE!” screamed a female, raspy voice right above the chatter.

He followed the first sign of life that seemed to give a shit, of course.

Shibuya station was littered with these enemy mobs that he could only describe as highly stylized art that came to life. Another boy with dark-brown hair, perhaps a year or two younger than him ran screaming from another direction, wild eyes raking over the scenery. Then, with an acutely placed slash from another one of those frogs, simply, phasing out of existence. His body was fading from view and Akechi would have rolled his eyes if he didn’t have to focus. 

Panic was how that particular boy had chosen to respond to this. Pathetic, really.

More importantly, the screams of bloody murder seemed to originate from the Hachikō Mural where another high-school student was draped over the statue, keeping skinny limbs and body far away from tattoo-like extremities. Her brightly neon-blue-colored hair was a true beacon in-midst the bleached atmosphere that apparently came with entering this particular layer of reality. Immature, but this might just have saved her life.

Beggars couldn’t be choosers.

“Make a pact with me!” he cried out to her, running as close as he felt comfortable to get.

She ceased her shaking. And looked up, searching, but apparently not seeing him with how unfocused her eyes were and how her brown irises still flickered about. Akechi kept his expression carefully neutral.

“I-?! Yeah?! YES! Yes, I accept!” she responded, finally locking gazes with him, afterward.

Light, Goro saw only light in the following few seconds, their whole vision enveloped in Cyan. And perhaps it was how the feeling of a pact was so reminiscent of acquiring a persona, but he practically felt another presence with him, fighting alongside.

Blue-haired girl was nowhere to be seen, which, according to the introductory monologue that reaper spat out, was exactly what was supposed to happen.

Good, the pact was acquired. The next step of being able to survive in this hellhole was using the pins, he’d been given to use as attacks meant to weaken the noise.

He brought them out, all at once from where they resided in his coat-pocket. Keeping the colorful manifestations in his sight. The problem with pins was that not every one of them worked for everyone, apparently. 

_“You don’t have much time to try them out either, boy. Just find one that works and build your strategy around it.”_ He remembered the Reaper saying.

Akechi clicked his tongue in dismay, never being one to do as he was told. So the only one he put aside was the pitch-black one with the skull imprint on it. Keeping the other ones at hand.

He barely dodged one of the wolves' claws and put distance between them with a few gracefully executed jumps. He willed them to burn into tiny crisps. Nothing happened.

Pyrokinesis didn’t work then.

Another one of the frogs jumps towards him was rendered superfluous with a well-timed duck. He used the momentum he gained to leave the threat range with elegant long strides. How about lightning then?

Nothing.

It was at this moment he felt phantom claws rake through his back and almost growled. What was his partner even doing? He had to find a psych fast, or that girl was going to kill them both. If there were any. No. No, he refused to be erased, now.

“JUST DIE!” he cried out.

His vision was from one second to the next tinted black and the noise in his close proximity were flung back. Not only that, but he felt the same refreshment he would from healing in the metaverse. Oh finally, he could work with this. He forced himself into the clusters of Noise willing to throw them into walls, each other, and make sure as many as possible collided with his barrier. He almost laughed from the sheer adrenaline that cursed through him whenever any damage he dealt towards the noise only made him stronger. Yes, he’d liked that psych. 

With all good things, it had to come to an end and Akechi was suddenly faced with a bear, twice his size. He braced himself for the impact as he tried to fling himself as far back as possible. Luckily, said bear seemed almost paralyzed after a low beat rung through the entire station and fizzled into static after a soft low melody followed. Hmm, his partner was not entirely useless then. 

He was sadly not able to reactivate the pin after he used it. Considering it was particularly powerful, he could understand that.

Only a few wolves remained, surprisingly weak after the melody and Akechi sighed, activating the last pin in his arsenal and hoping against hope that at least this one would work. He was barely able to finish the thought before bullets of pure energy disintegrated the closest wolf noise to him.

He’d practically won this fight now.

Of course, the bullet psych would work for him. Not that Akechi would complain about a slight bit of familiarity in a completely new layer of existence. This might actually be helpful if he thought about it while shooting another noise down. Darkness and bullet rain. Akechi would keep a lookout for pins that allowed him to use psychs reminiscent of his preferred fighting style. Maybe one of them would make it even possible for him to summon Hereward.

The last wolf disintegrated and a feeling that was a washed down version of the distortion and pulling in his mind, he always felt while leaving the metaverse, rained down on him, a breath of soft relief escaping his lips. He turned immediately as he saw bright blue moving in the corner of his vision. Having for the first time a clear look of the person he had to get along with for a week.

The first thing he noticed is how long her brightly colored hair was. It almost flowed to her knees, pulled in a very low ponytail, that did nothing to keep it from being unruly, despite how straight it lay. He wondered, while of course not voicing it out loud if that girl ever had seen a hairbrush. Strands framed her face and a low fringe almost obscured her eyes.

The messy appearance wasn’t helped any by the dark-blue sweater that was several sizes too big for her petite frame. Hands obscured by the sleeves and almost the length of a dress. Beneath that, she wore leggings. 

She fiddled with the giant headphones around her neck, eyes darting around Akechi’s sudden gaze.

Keeping in mind how he was told that it was very important to have a good relationship with your partner if you wanted to live, the former detective schooled his expression into a mild-mannered smile and rubbed the back of his neck, narrowing his eyes sheepishly.

“Apologies for my former urgency. As you know, we’re in a very unfortunate situation and time was of the essence. I hope I did not scare you,” he explained, voice gentle.

Her brown eyes found his maroon ones and she seemed to study his face for a bit, insecurity radiating off of her in waves.

“Uhm, no. I mean, if you didn’t we’d both be dead. Or more dead? Then we’re now, I guess. Thanks.” She mumbled, and Akechi kept his face carefully pleasant. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

Straight to the point, it seems. Her manners could use a lot of work as well, but honestly, that wasn’t Akechi’s problem. Of course, she also had heard of him before, thankfully she didn’t seem to be a fangirl.

“Ah, well. You see, I might have appeared on TV a few times, nothing of note,” he admitted, sheepishly.

Appear vulnerable and humble. Arrogant celebrities just scared the shy away. Her gaze snapped to him suddenly, her eyes piercing in a way Akechi didn’t know she was capable of.

“Are you an idol or something?” she asked and Akechi heard the accusatory tone, even though she tried to hide it.

Akechi twisted his mouth in a way that he hoped would inspire camaraderie. _An Idol? No, I dislike them at least as much as you do._

“A detective, actually,” he let out a laugh, coloring it with embarrassment. “I have merely appeared in a few interviews. Ah, where are my manners, Akechi Goro, I look forward to working with you, …?”

She didn’t let up on the quiet judgment as he had hoped, on the contrary, something he said must have really put her off, since by the way her nose and brows folded she seemed mildly disgusted now. 

“Yeah, okay, Tantei-san,” and something about the way she used the honorific was almost mocking. “Takahashi Atsuko.”

Well, then. He wouldn’t bend backward for a rude child. He was assured, she was quite young, considering her small stature and lack of tact. He’d bit back the scathing insult, ready on his tongue, refrained himself from sneering at this imbecile girl. He only had to bear with her for a week. 

“Shall we be going? We have only,” he began and checked his hand. “Roughly, twenty minutes left and I rather make it through the day, after the entire endeavor.”

“Right,” she just whispered.

The young girl began walking, not even waiting for Akechi. If he wasn’t so stupidly dependent on her, he would have broken the pact right then and there. She was only alive because Akechi found her cowering on Hachikō. He wondered if she was even aware that if he found any other player he might consider capable, he could leave her on the spot.

Leaving her with seven minutes to find someone else or die. Whatever. He was a valuable partner, he already had two working psychs, more than that reaper expected him to.

He put the elemental pins, that we still clutched in his hand, away and studied the ones he just used. Curious, the reaper from the interrogation room gave him an assortment of these, but he didn’t remember the primarily red-colored one with the graffiti on it being there. Did he miss it? His memory was better than that. Regardless, however it might found its way to him, he was glad for it. That barrier was very powerful, after all. 

Akechi noticed the tell-tale pitch-black grid-like wings from the corner of his eye, another Reaper standing at the far end of the street and nodding at him once their gazes met.

“Pact confirmed. Conditions are cleared.” he declared.

Leaning at the wall of a house again afterward and the former detective could only blink. ‘What was that about…?’

Before he could truly wonder further a cool tingle wandered over his hand and a quick glance confirmed what he already expected. The timer was gone and he was safe for the day. Good. Just another six days and he could truly begin carving out his own path.

From this point onward Akechi’s memory failed him. Everything might have turned black.

**The 1st day**  
**“A SECOND OFFER”**  
**CHAPTER CLOSED.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Also like 3hrs after posting this I find out there is a Twewy anouncement. Seriously? How did I miss that? I feel a little bad now.)


	2. Discordant Harmony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Game has begun. As a partnership turns tense new faces appear that remind Akechi of old acquaintances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, and welcome to: How many references can I shove into a single chapter? Haha.
> 
> Anyway, I'm almost nervous to post this, because I have yet again taken many liberties with this, but I have truly enjoyed writing this chapter so I hope you all can enjoy it as well.
> 
> I did not expect anyone to take any interest in this whatsoever, so that some do is really uplifting to me! Anyway, onwards.

_I’m a fan, just that you know. To influence so many through careful manipulation is no easy feat._

_._

_._

_._

As Akechi came to again, 104 was right above and Takahashi sitting right next to him, legs crossed, looking into the sky, ears covered by those headphones of hers and music blaring. Electro, from what he could hear.

He’d only barely sat up when he already saw her dipping her head in his direction.

„About time, you woke Sleeping Beauty,“ she said, voice so careless, Akechi could have assumed she was stating a fact rather than voice an annoyance.

She barely spared him a glance, before looking at the sky again. Wistful in a way that Akechi couldn’t decipher, nor should honestly care about. She didn’t seem to think he was worth any of her time, after all. It was mildly irritating, to be honest. He was used to being hated, being adored.

Well, he was used to being ignored too, but he’d honestly hoped he left that part of his life behind.

The ringing of his phone saved him from letting his thoughts stray into _that path_ and he got out his cellphone to find the message already displayed. 

_Remove the discordant notes disturbing the harmony of Dogenzaka. You have 400 minutes._

_\- The Reapers_

Well, and here Akechi thought all of the mission mail would be as uninspired as the first one. This might prove to be interesting.

Heat burned into his palm again and he heard the almost throttled gasp of Takahashi at the same time. She slammed her headphones down and checked her phone immediately.

The fact that she startled so easily must mean that she was concealing fear and nervousness. It wouldn’t surprise him. He merely hoped it wouldn’t hinder their progress.

“Discordant notes? Are they talking about erasing the noise…?” she murmured.

“Perhaps,” Akechi replied. “I don’t believe it’s just that simple, however.”

She turned around, face stoic, or at least that was what she was trying to accomplish. It seemed stony instead.

“What do you think then, Tantei-san?” she asked.

He smiled, pleasantly. A little smug perhaps, but that girl brought this on herself, honestly. “Oh, I do believe the Noise are involved, certainly. The way the message is worded, however, especially in comparison to the one of yesterday let’s one infer that there might not be only one way of interpreting this message. I could only confirm my theory with field research, though.”

Her mouth formed a lopsided smile. “That’s a pretty convoluted way to say, ‘Hey, I agree with you, but I think that’s not all.’ Are you always like this? How do people think _you’re_ some princely savior?”

Akechi couldn’t help it, he laughed, a short bitter bark and his pleasant smile turned razor-sharp. “Oh, _people_ aren’t usually this rude to me, you see. I am in fact, not always like this.”

The girl blinked at him, seeming to even think for a second. “Huh.”

Understanding passed her eyes, understanding of what exactly, Akechi could not tell yet. Before, he could even begin to read her countenance she turned away from him again, stretching lazily with a very overblown yawn and standing up carefully. Then, she rubbed face with her needlessly long sleeves and stumbled about, going roughly the direction of Dogenzaka. 

Akechi was following her suit after standing up himself and dusting the excess dirt from his clothes. The moment he caught up with her she studied him from the corner of her eye.

“Oh, and good thing my psych is pitch-based, yeah?” she added, with a smug little smirk.

And perhaps this was finally the peace-offering he had been hoping for. Maybe, telling her how rude she was being prompted a bit of self-reflection?

“Perhaps it might be of help, Takahashi-san. One might never know,” he responded his tone a carefully hopeful one. 

He did make sure to smile at her, show her that her input was valued even if he truly did think that merely thinking of music when interpreting the mail was honestly, a little short-sighted.

“Oh, right, why am I trying?” she grumbled, looking away.

Maybe, she wasn’t regretful at all.

Akechi honestly wanted to strangle her. What the hell was even her problem? He was being honestly more chivalrous to her than she _deserved._ Calm, he had to stay calm. He wouldn’t let her get under his skin like this.

“Takahashi-san, I merely want to consider all the possibilities. Still, quite a useful skill, you have. You were the one that paralyzed the noise yesterday, weren’t you?” he asked.

She didn’t even acknowledge his existence anymore, walking further and he decided he should do the same. He knew the answer anyway. Excuse him, for trying to reach out to somebody he was supposed to work together with for the remainder of the week.

Would Akechi be asked if he were any amused by the fact that she ran into thin air, right after trying to outpace him, he would deny it, of course. He’d be lying. 

The girl flinched and stared for a good few seconds at the invisible wall before her. She touched it with both her hands, leaning against it, and muttered something under her breath Akechi couldn’t understand from his distance but sounded very much like muffled curses. A quick sweep of the area revealed black wings again, another hooded figure standing left of him, arms folded.

The one from yesterday said something about conditions being cleared. Here’s a thought, maybe they couldn’t have entered the area without a pact, which would have served to erase any renegade players that did manage to avoid the noise but didn’t find anyone to make a pact with. 

He approached the hooded figure with a smile. “I assume we need to reach certain conditions to breach that wall? Which would those be?”

The reaper nodded, shoving his smartphone in Akechi’s face. Akechi ignored the blatant disrespect in favor of seeing the highly stylized symbol that was again reminiscent of a tattoo or graffiti.

“Erase three of those where I can see you,” he muttered, going back to folding his arms again right after.

“Very, well,” Akechi said.

His partner was already waiting for him, leaning against the wall and eyes following his movements.

“So?”

“We need to erase a certain type of noise. In particular three of those. Get ready,” Akechi answered.

She stood and nodded as he got out his player pin and for the lack of a better word, concentrated. He was told he could scan his surroundings if he opened his mind and focused.

He wasn’t ready for the cacophony of thoughts that assaulted his mind all at once. He was searching for noise and he got it. Anxious wondering if a date was going to arrive in time, anger about someone else getting a certain dress of a certain line, squealing about a prince that just posted something or the other, stressed spinning thoughts, that Akechi very much recognized, of someone overthrowing their entire schedule in panic, uncertain if they would be even able to fit everything into their day. It felt like someone took a sledgehammer to his head. A droning high-pitched ringing was all that could register in his brain and he threw the pin to the ground, breathing heavily.

“What…? What was that…” he murmured, massaging the temples of his head.

“Uhm. Hey, you okay?” Takahashi asked carefully, picking up the pin.

"Fine," Akechi ground out, between clenched teeth.

He closed his eyes, trying to will the raging headache away while grabbing blindly for his player pin.

"That doesn't look fine," Takahashi muttered. "I can't help you if you aren't telling me anything. To me, it looks like you have an issue with scanning."

Akechi gave up on blindly searching for his player pin and opened his eyes again. Picking up the pin gingerly and sighing deeply.

"It was a little overwhelming, perhaps," he agreed, not particularly fond that he had to admit it, but conceding that his plight was rather obvious.

She nodded. "Did you try focusing your search a little? Maybe, thinking 'I need to find these Noise' instead of 'I need to scan for shit'. Search for the right channel, the right pitch."

Akechi blinked. This made a lot of sense. "Thank you, I shall try that."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Weren't you warned or something? I was told Shibuya was all full of frequencies you could tune in with your player pin."

"No. I have an inkling suspicion the Reaper assigned to me required vacation or demotion, honestly," he mused while rolling the pin in his hand.

Tuning in, then? Interesting.

An undignified snort was heard from his left as Takahashi began devolving into chuckles and he raised a brow.

"Or demotion," she said while she laughed. "Gosh, this is so dumb."

"And yet you seem to be laughing," he commented.

"Ugh, I know," she groaned, which was interspersed with another few chuckles. "My humor is the worst."

"Give yourself a little more credit Takahashi-san," Goro said lightly. "I've made entire studios laugh at times."

Akechi could feel her gaze on her, could see from the corner of his eyes how she took a breath to probably respond in some kind of rude fashion, but before she could, the entirety of his surroundings were tinted. And he could see. See that there were so many people he could focus on in the background, but more clearly that breaks in the soft blue in an ever so constant buzzing around him was what they were searching for.

And he could see the noise that Reaper had shown him, could will them to come closer with mere intention alone.

He felt the disorientating pull he always did when diving into something else and was suddenly alone with a rather large wolf.

_"Hey! Could you maybe warn me before you do that? I'm glad you got the hang of it, but seriously."_

He could hear her voice crisp and clear in his head as if it was a recounted memory. It seems that becoming partners included a handful of perks like telepathy. Useful.

He activated his bullet rain pin and used its path and trajectory to hunt the wolf down. While doing his hardest to avoid quite a few slashes and bites. Dodging out of the noise's reach with a surmounting amount of glee. He forgot how fun it was how thrilling it could be to make his opponent yowl. Or what could be mostly described as such, the pathetic whimpering sounding as if it was broadcast through a decade-old radio with a bad connection.

_"Apologies, but I do believe, that is what we were here for in the first place. Before you changed the subject?"_

_"Oh my god, I can feel how fucking smug you are from here. I'll show you."_

He just cornered the noise within a chain of energy it couldn't free itself off and shortly before letting the last bullet fly, he felt a tremendous amount of gain in power. It connected and the noise let out a long, shrill, and distorted sound.

 _"Oh shit! I finally, managed to find a rhythm! Woohooo!"_ _Takahashi's voice cheered in his head._

He wasn't sure, but a small part of him might have felt a fleeting giddy excitement, or was it hers?

_"Oh, was that related to my power gain perhaps?"_

_"Huh, now that you say it like that I kinda feel weaker," s_ _he mused._

Nevertheless, the wolf was still in the game and he shot at it again, successfully setting off another chain of hits. Afterwards, he felt the momentary power leave his body. An idea was forming in his head.

_"Who would have thought? A power boost that would change hosts with a successful strategy. They do want us to work together don't they?"_

_"Dang, I'm sorry. I think I got the hang of it now, though!"_

Akechi almost scoffed but kept from it. Apparently, their telepathic connection picked up on strong emotions? Or was it if they wanted to broadcast it? It definitely wouldn't help to dwell on it, he decided as he sent the bullets flying against their noise again.

_"Takahashi-san," he thought and he pushed 'listen to me' into the intention of it. "Can you tell me shortly before you pass the power next time that you will?"_

_"Aye! Actually-. NOW!"_

He stepped right into the wolf and activated the ridiculously powerful barrier pin, pushing into it with all his combined might, dragging the noise with him across the battlefield. It didn't defy long.

Takahashi's aborted cry of "Holy shi-." Was all he heard before they jumped planes again and he found himself right in front of a teenage girl with brown eyes blown wide. He smirked, smug. She was impressionable, despite the grudge she seemed to harbor towards him for seemingly no reason at all. It wasn't all that surprising. The least of Tokyo's teenagers were accustomed to fighting and his experience must seem incomprehensible to her.

"Don't say, anything," she began, narrowing her eyes at his smirk, before casting them away and smiling herself, mumbling. "You're good at this, though."

Then she shuffled her feet, avoiding his eyes and Goro was the most amused he had been since he died. It was always a good feeling to prove one of his doubters wrong.

"Oh, Takahashi-san?" He began.

She brought up her eyes so that he was barely in the periphery of her vision, Goro could tell.

"I will scan for the two others we are supposed to erase. Be ready," he said.

The girl nodded, without complaint.

* * *

Now that they both established a strategy of some sort, erasing Noise became subsequently easier and they even found a few pins that worked for neither of their Psychs, but Takahashi told him, would be easily bought for a decent sum of money. It was strange, being reliant on such things, for he had easily all the money he wanted at his disposal, back when he had access to the metaverse and was a hired killer.

He still had, a decent amount of money, that is, but he thought it was smarter to hold onto it in case he would need it for the future. Takahashi was eyeing the pins they would sell in delight, wondering out loud if anything they bought here would transfer to the RG. Goro was honestly more interested if the Untouchable was UG friendly.

They reached Dogenzaka in a matter of minutes and as he scanned his surroundings for a second time, he almost dropped his player pin twice in a matter of minutes.

The street was littered with Noise and most of them clustered around the storefronts. There was no possible way they would be able to clear this. There had to be a source. As he opened his eyes again he found Takahashi curiously watching him.

"Noise?" She asked, lips curling into a smirk.

"Yes. Too many to clear just like that, though," he stated.

"And you think you know how to get rid of them?" She murmured, a bored lilt entering her voice.

He almost laughed at her desperate attempt to seem nonchalant, though it was only more hindering than helpful right now. "Of course. You were told that the Underground affects the Realground and vice versa, yes?"

"Duh." She said, brow raised.

"We only need to find an unusual happenstance in the Realground then. It should be rather obvious, with their amount and since they are clustered around the storefronts of... Ramen restaurants, if my eyes aren't deceiving me. I believe our investigation should start right here," Akechi laid out.

"Lead the way, Tantei-san," she said aloud, then muttered, quiet, but not quiet enough to escape the hearing of a trained assassin. "If you dare make me your assistant you got another thing coming."

'How quaint. An assistant usually aids the detective, however.' he thought, idly, while entering what a wide sign declared to be Ramen Don's and another, smaller one, to be UG friendly.

The smell that barraged Akechi was not promising and he truly had to wonder how anyone could eat here and how this shop was still in business. He kept his face neutral, despite the strong temptation to warp his expression in mild disgust.

Takahashi-san was less careful and rumpled her nose rather obviously, despite not leaving his side. Very well, calling her out on it would only call attention to it. Even if he wanted to demand answers from whoever thought that teamwork and partnership had to be such a central theme to this game, and then decided to pair the players at random.

"Irasshai!" Was called from behind the counter as the door behind them closed.

Akechi put on his most charming smile, his gaze flitting over the menu and calculating which first impression would entangle the shop's owner in the most conversation. Curiously enough, the menu was heavily modified as if the owner wasn't above changing it now and then, while the classics remained. In addition, a mysterious option was added. It was mildly unprofessional, but it seemed passionate and all Akechi truly needed was someone who would talk.

A door behind the counter was opened and a middle-aged man in a blue bandana stepped out. He was wearing a bright smile, but stress lines on his face. How unfortunate, but to be expected.

"What can I do for you?" He asked, with a slight undercurrent of strain, but not directed at them, good.

"Good morning! My assistant and I," he said, face brightening as Takahashi sent him an inconspicuous glare. "Are in the mood of trying something new. Are there any recommendations you could give us? Please don't refrain, from the particularly experimental. I do run a food blog on the side so really the more unusual the better."

His face brightened, especially at the aforementioned food-blog and Akechi knew the man would be especially forthcoming now. Perfect.

"Well! What do you know! There is this recipe that I had wanted to try for ages and I believe you and your assistant would like it!" He said, beaming.

Akechi mirrored him deliberately. "Oh? Are there any special ingredients involved in the making of the recipe? Some processes that might not be standard? Apologies. You see, I'm somewhat of an enthusiast and I'd like my information to be correct."

The man's grin only brightened further if it was even possible and laughed. "Hah! What kind of business would it be if I told you everything? But, since you asked so nicely I'll give you something!"

And he catapulted himself into an explanation that Goro pretended that he was listening to while secretly cataloging the shop around them. The first thing that he noticed was Takahashi glaring daggers at him, something swirling in her eyes that he glimpsed remnants of before, but not in this capacity. He'd have to deal with whatever this was later.

The other obvious happenstance was that the shop was almost empty. Not surprising considering the smell, however if this would be a regular occurrence it would have closed by now. Something seemed wrong and it was something else to inquire about, in any case.

The next thing he noticed was out of the corner of his eye and it let him pause. He only felt himself nodding along as the owner declared to start working on their order now, before he froze, time suddenly moving much slower. Out of one of the booths peeked a black cat out, belonging to someone with a pale complexion, glasses, and black, short hair.

He turned around abruptly and immediately, only barely noticing Takahashi's startled flinch.

The person sitting in the booth was not Akira. Something in Akechi sunk, for whatever reason it might have.

The cat was not real, for starters, it seemed to be a stuffed toy and frankly, the crystalline blue eyes were missing. The person's hair was the wrong shade of black, warmer than Akira's, straighter too. Her eyes weren't silver, but brown. And while Akira was certainly not above wearing woman's fashion, her style and his didn't particularly match. The colors were too pastel for one, it was light and innocent and while her white dress suited her, he doubted Akira would ever wear white for anything else than accentuation. Besides, Akira had gone to great lengths not to stand out in any way or form in a crowd, the rather large purple headphones that girl was wearing around her neck, practically begging for attention

He didn't give too much of that attention to the other three people she was sitting with, what Akechi needed to correct. With her was a young man with blonde hair, punk get-up, and a skateboard on his lap who practically screamed delinquent, a teen with just as blonde hair and similar clothing choices and a young woman who seemed to be around the first one's age, barely older than Akechi. Most notably with an interest in fashion that she declared to the world with her short, but modern attire choices and her brightly red-colored hair. Very typical for the kind of people that frequented Shibuya.

"What are you looking at?" Takahashi asked.

She followed his gaze before he could look at something else or play it off and gasped loudly as soon as she saw the woman. 'Does she know them perhaps?' He wondered.

"Where did you get these headphones?!" She cried, running immediately to the girl, slamming her hands on the table and leaning over her.

Because that is how you made a good first impression. On anyone. And indeed the man jumped, eyes wide as saucers, the teen sporting a very amused smile and the redhead raised her brow. The girls' hands immediately reached for them protectively, eyes widening behind her glasses and mouth opening to say something, though at first no words seemingly wanting to come.

"I-. Got them as a present?" She said, uncertainly, though then her face brightened. "Do you know them, from somewhere?"

"OH, DO I?! They're just the Clouds979 Noise cancellation HQ! They had this super short time of being even sold in Shibuya a few years ago and they were expensive, yeah, but the prize was super fair for that and they're a must-have for everyone who's thinking of going into remixing or mash-up. The notes are supposed to be super crisp! Are you-?!" She began to ramble.

Akechi stepped in to intervene before she could completely alienate possible sources of information and make the young woman's eyes widen even further, clearly caught off-guard.

"Apologies," he interjected, concise and loud enough to be understood over Takahashi's rambling. "My friend can be very passionate about her interests, I hope she did not disturb you."

Takahashi whirled around to him and in her eyes was fire, but the slight crease in her brow and downturn in her lips indicated something else. Yes, he hurt her, however she wasn't exactly keen on being kind either so it was deserved. He smiled gently at the young woman with the stuffed cat. Her friend was faster.

"Don't worry!" She called, laughing bubbly and bright. "What's wrong with being passionate! She surprised us, that's all."

Then her brow furrowed while she took in his features, contemplation written all over her face, before it dropped with her mouth, aghast.

"Are you Akechi Goro???" She asked, with that giddy undertone that made Akechi usually want to leave the premises while dropping into the charming, pleasant sweetheart spiel.

His soft smile widened a little, expression abashed, sheepish while he put a hand on his neck and the redhead's eyes widened further.

"Oh my god. You ARE! The second coming of the Detective Prince! The third Prince! No offense, but you're even prettier in real life than in front of the cameras! How do you even do that?!"

The punk with the skateboard was clearly judging him by the way his brow furrowed and he looked him up and down. "Yo, this dude? That's the one you wanted to model your clothes, so bad? Looks prissy."

Wanting to have him model clothes for her? This must make her somewhat of a designer, he mused, while she whirled around on the punk, eyes comically wide.

"BEAT!" She cried, before turning to Akechi again, smile desperate. "I'm so, so, so sorry! You have to excuse my friend he doesn't know what style was if it slapped him in the face."

"Wh-. HEY! What's wrong with my clothes?!"

Certainly reminiscent of one Sakamoto Ryuji. He let out a laugh, kind and gentle and short despite the condescending and bitter one that sat at the back of his throat.

"It's quite alright, I am aware that my choice of fashion doesn't appeal to everyone," he said, an appeasing smile gracing his features.

Her desperate smile gave way to pure relief and she giggled, nodding along. Meanwhile, the youngest one of them watched him curiously, the one called Beat narrowed his eyes at him and furrowed his brow, not entirely suspicious of him, but something close. Actually, confused would perhaps be a more fitting attribute. The woman he mistook for Akira at first, seemed to blush furiously and avoided his eyes in particular, looking at Takahashi during this exchange. Takahashi who looked at him in turn, gaze piercing, and her mouth set into a line as if she could read him like one were to read a book.

"You know," she smiled towards Takahashi, sweetly, interspersed only by a few nervous brushed of her locks behind her ear. "That the headphones were supposed to cancel noise, makes a lot of sense actually. My friend used to hate noise and Shibuya's loud chatter and loves music."

"Oh, he does...?" Takahashi asked, carefully hopeful again. "What kind does he like? My remixes usually tend towards Trance and Dubstep, but every genre can be amazing if handled right."

"Oh, you do Remixes! That's really admirable, I bet he would love to talk with you! Neku said he's busy for a while, but when we meet again, I can ask him. If you want?" She asked carefully.

"He would? I mean, yes! Of course!" Takahashi answered. 

“Let’s exchange numbers. So, I know how to reach you when I got finally hold of him,” the girl said, amused.

Takahashi nodded, taking a seat across the girl and daring Akechi with her look to say anything. He took one of them himself, smiling serenely. If anything these people seemed like regulars, if the casual reach for the spices and how they all seemed to know how they would like their plates was any indication.

"Misaki Shiki," she said softly as Takahashi contemplated what to save her under.

And that sounded somewhat familiar. Curious indeed.

"Thanks. Takahashi Atsuko."

"Now that we're all friends I think we should all introduce ourselves to each other! Haibara Eri, but you can call me Eri," she winked to the players. "I think we all already know who Akechi-san is."

There was a giggle across her as the one who hadn't said anything until now finally decided to.

"Yes, because you couldn't stop talking about him until a few months ago. I'm Rhyme and use they/them pronouns and that's my brother Beat," they explained while indicating to him.

"Yo! Gonna say this only once a'ight? You ever misgender them, you gonna be toast!" He loudly proclaimed almost slamming his hands on the table, before remembering it was full of Ramen.

"I wouldn't ever think of doing so," Akechi only responded, head calmly leaned to the side.

Takahashi sported a secret smile on her face, head bowed, eyes wistful until she directed that same wistful, melancholic glance at Beat. "You really love each other, don't you?"

"Of course. Love comes in many forms though, so it's not always this obvious," Rhyme explained.

While they did their brother pulled them into a half-hug.

"Hell yeah! No R'n'B without Rhyme!" He declared, leaving Rhyme to smile to themselves.

This declaration of his was met with the freest, genuine laugh Akechi had ever heard from Takahashi, no reluctance, unrepentant, but also sad. Despite how high and free it seemed, her voice wobbled as if her laughter was about to distort into something else. It didn't. It was something of note, at least.

"You're absolutely right," Takahashi said, still trying to clear her throat of the remnants of laughter.

Before their conversation could fall into an awkward lull, Akechi made a show of looking around the ramen shop, before cocking his head curiously to the side checking his watch.

"Hmm, this establishment seems so empty for a rush hour? Say, is it normal that business is so slow?" He asked no one in particular.

"Dude, no! It's so unfair, yo! Doi got bad reviews on some popular site or whatever and nobody is eating here anymore!" Beat cried out.

And didn't that seem like an important lead? Maybe Takahashi's passion for anything music-related was helpful after all. It made for a somewhat organic meeting at least.

"A popular site? Would you care to elaborate? There might be many reasons this is happening," Akechi mused.

Eri nodded enthusiastically. "It's called Taste-of-Tokyo and it's the go-to for people who really want to get something for their money, you know? Everyone can write a review, but it's mostly the Gourmet's everybody's listening to-. Come to think of it, why aren't you one Akechi-san? You had a very popular food blog! I bet they would totally want you as a Gourmet!!"

He let out one of his abashed laughs and hummed as if he was genuinely considering it, smiling the whole time at Eri while he did it. "I'm not all too sure. Do you need any credentials? While food is a passion of mine, I doubt I could be called a professional for this particular subject in any case."

Eri furrowed her brow. "I dunno... You need to have a big following, it helps if you like food? And you have your blog! I think people that know less about food than you do, are on there! You just need to post again. It's been months since you last updated, I checked. They'd be so idiotic, though, not to take you."

Akechi hummed again. "I see, though it does seem like a system that could be easily manipulated if classifying as a gourmet on this site is met with as little guidelines as it seems it is."

"Do you think they are bought?" Misaki asks, her voice is soft but inquisitive.

"It's a little early to make assumptions, though I am considering the possibility, yes," he answers, smiling at her in a way that he always did when he needed to coax someone out of their shell.

At that point they're all interrupted, because the owner came with Akechi's and Takahashi's order and the two of them settled with the others, not wanting to discuss the shops failing business while the owner was in earshot.

The Ramen was really good, honestly. He didn't care much, despite all the charade he'd gone through to keep his food blog popular, but all his different expenses and visits to all kind of popular ramen restaurants gave him the perspective to appreciate how the spices worked with the chicken and vegetables to make it taste light and yet flavorful. This wasn't at all how he imagined it judging by the smell alone. He made a picture of his bowl as he checked his phone for a possible W-Lan Hotspot. The model not finding anything. Figured. He was supposedly in another plane after all even if he could interact with the one he came from.

"Beat, you're right. This is totally unfair," Takahashi murmured between bites. "The Ramen is so good, whoever gave this place a bad rep had to be lying."

Akechi sadly couldn't go into the metaverse anymore, threaten the "gourmets" that did it, and put a tick next to today's mission. He furiously contemplated, while working on his bowl of ramen.

"Is this the only restaurant that has been receiving those bad reviews, as you put it?" He began.

"No," Misaki said, looking him straight in the eyes. "Shadow Ramen has too, so we know that uhm-. Their owner couldn't have done it."

"You suspected them?" Akechi asked.

"Oh, well uhm," she began, looking away. "I know they, used to be rivals back when the Prince, the other Prince I mean, rated their Ramen F, so it would have made sense they did it again. A friend told me all about it."

"I see," he said.

He began to suspect that Misaki Shiki knew more about the situation than she let on. He suspected she was involved in a lot more than she let on, while he chewed on his noodles. Starting with the cat she carried, one that didn't only seem familiar because of Morgana.

"Your cat is rather adorable. Does it have a name?"

"Oh, that's-!" She blushed again. "That's Mr. Mew."

"She made the plush herself," Eri butted in, grinning. "Can you believe it?! That was years ago and she'd only gotten better! Actually! Both the clothing she and I are wearing was made by her! She's gonna become the best seamstress one day and she will be contracted by moi~."

This loud declaration only made her blush further, despite the very pleased smile on her face that told him that she wanted to hear such things, which was perfect. Flattery it was, then.

"Without question. I can see the care and detail put into her work," he agreed, putting very deliberately a note of admiration into his voice. "That said, Mr. Mew seems very familiar. You aren't in any way or form connected to Shiha Miski, by any chance?"

Her blush slowly turned into a furious red and she opened her mouth to say anything, before closing it again and so very obviously trying to form a sentence in her head. Oh, she could not deny it now. He found it rather amusing actually. Honestly, that tidbit of information wasn't exactly related to the case in any sense, but if he could establish a rapport with her, he might be more likely to find out what she seemed to be hiding from him. He finished his Ramen with the satisfaction of being right once again.

"It's no reason to be embarrassed," he affably assured her. "I actually wanted to thank you. If it wasn't for your relentless activism and influential voice in the community, I would've had had a lot more grief."

"Yo, what're you talking 'bout?" Beat asked, confused.

"Shiki did you help him somehow? What community?" Eri asked with no lack of surprise in her voice.

"She helped me curb a few of my more overzealous fans, you could say," he finished, noticing how darker the red in her face was growing by the minute.

How small the world was. If she didn't carry around the stuffed toy that used to be her avatar back then he would have never recognized her as a former moderator on a forum dedicated to him. He wouldn't have also known that she was the one that single-handedly managed to stomp a fanatic movement out.

It wouldn't have been particularly good for his image if his fans publicly announced to destroy the phantom thieves. Besides, back then he believed he could have very much done it on his own. He'd found it mildly amusing, still needlessly time-consuming and a bother.

Eri looked at her friend with wide pleading eyes, practically begging for more information and Misaki, surprisingly, chuckled. "I sort of, helped found a fan group and a few of its members started to threaten the Phantom Thieves, so I had to do something. You know? I only did what I had to."

It was curious really, how the most seemingly shy and humble could hide a sense of responsibility and justice behind their exterior. A sharp look behind innocuous glasses.

"You don't give yourself enough credit Misaki-san. Not everyone would have accepted the brunt of the anger of the people one once called friends with so much grace. Working with you was a pleasant surprise. You were precise, professional, and not afraid to enact fair consequences for the others disgraceful behavior," he praised.

"Oh, I don't know. It's easier when you can hide behind a mask," she murmured and her gaze flickered to Eri nervously.

Akechi smiled, really smiled for once and it was wry. Admiration twisted by bitterness. "I'd beg to differ and say Shiha Miski is a part of you. One that would reveal itself when needed."

There is a sour irony in the fact that a dedicated fan of Akechi's would have made a wonderful phantom thief, would she have had the opportunity to do so. It was sudden that his and Takahashi's eyes met and he saw a rare instance of curiosity instead of animosity on her face.

"My friend is sooo coool," Eri sang, took said friend's arm, and leaned heavily against her making her blush a deep red, yet again.

"Akechi-san is right," Rhyme said softly and all eyes were suddenly on them as they smiled. "You just need the confidence, everything else doesn't come from nowhere. I'd say we're all strong in our ways, we wouldn't be here otherwise."

"Hmm," Takahashi said, eyes downcast. "You all seem to be, but that I'm here doesn't mean I'm strong."

"I think you can be," Rhyme merely said.

The conviction in their eyes, the unflinching trust and belief they expressed through their body language alone, well, even Takahashi managed to drag her eyes off the ground and seem moved by it, even if her smile was of one that didn't really believe what she was told.

Then it fell even further, the girl seemingly lost in thought. "Might be a weird topic to jump to, but what did you believe happened to the Phantom Thieves? A lot of drama was happening and then they kinda just disappeared. And everyone just stopped caring about them."

Which made sense with what Akira had told him about Yaldabaoth, though they didn't need to know about that.

"BWAAAH! You're right! They did the good thing! Fought the good fight! How'd I forget?!" Beat, exclaimed, suddenly looking extremely affronted with himself.

Of course, he of all of them would support the phantom thieves.

"You think, they're a meme?" He asked, to Rhyme and Misaki in specific.

As Takahashi gaped and began dissolving into the same kind of laughter that his dry dissent of a Reaper forced her into, he saw Misaki sharply turning her gaze towards him and Rhyme's lips curled in a somewhat exasperated, but indulgent smile. Misaki's reaction seemed certainly a little out of the ordinary, for an innocent question that implied the phantom thieves were merely an internet phenomenon.

However, there was the usage of this certain term in the Underground, as a tool, a way to put an idea into another person's head and affect the RG in this way. Now, if there was a general policy to keep quiet about coming back to life after death, that reaction would be indeed warranted. That told him all he needed to know.

"Uh, I mean, with how popular they are. There's gonna be memes!" Beat saved, not at all smoothly.

Takahashi cried out in joy and started to desperately ring for breath. Gasping out a sentence that sounded suspiciously like 'there's so much revolution you can fit into those phantom thieves' while her voice was annoyingly high-pitched.

While that happened, Akechi focused on Misaki.

"While this has been a lovely meeting and I'm very glad we could see each other Misaki-san, we do have a few tasks to accomplish," he said, watching her reactions carefully. "Do you believe the site could have led to a lot of negativity, a discordance if you will?"

Misaki seemed to think, then nodded, narrowing her eyes in thought. "You could say that. Are you investigating it?"

"You could say that," he parroted, smiling. "Takahashi-san, we should get going. We don't have the entire day, after all, and I wanted to ask the owner a few questions."

Akechi stood then up and bowed. "Goodbye everyone, I quite enjoyed myself in your company."

Her remaining laughter immediately stopped and she paled a little as if the gravity of the situation was only apparent to her now.

"Yeah, thanks, everyone. I needed that laugh," she murmured, smiling at Beat.

Goodbyes and promises to meet again were exchanged and while Akechi dutifully agreed as his spiel demanded, he doubted he would come across these people again. And yet while he carefully questioned the owner about the people that, apparently undeservedly, damaged the reputation of his establishment, he felt a gaze on his back and he could already tell who it was.

It was easy to convince the owner to hand over their identity and what they were known for in particular, namely Idol and Singer Shimizu Hana and popular voice actor Kawaguchi Gin. Akechi wished him a nice and hopefully productive day, with the promise to write about his excellent dishes on his blog, as soon as he had the opportunity to do so. It wasn’t a lie, technically.

They closed the door behind them and were about to depart on their search for these gourmets.

It didn't even take a few seconds for it to open again a soft "I knew it," coming from right behind them. Takahashi whirled around and he turned calmly, as they both saw Shiki Misaki, standing in the doorway, an odd smile on her face. She looked in their direction even though her gaze didn't quite meet their eyes.

"Good luck in the Game. Avoid the Reapers at all costs, the pig noise drop the most Yen, oh and-. Trust your partner," she merely said, giving them one last, very sad, smile before she turned around and closed the door behind her.

The world around Akechi froze. And he heard a certain vow reverberate through his entire being. With words even though voiceless, he could still understand.

_I am thou, thou art I._

_Thou hast acquired a new vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the **Priestess** Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that should lead to freedom and new power..._

_**Shiki Misaki – The Priestess, Rank 1** _

This wasn't the first time he came across what Akira would call enigmatically his confidants. A soft smile on his features, a knowledge in his eyes that not many could comprehend. It left Akechi reeling, nonetheless, and somehow glad. Strange that someone like him could even gain a confidant as kind and sweet-natured as the young girl. He did not mind at all.

Didn't he think just a few moments ago that her quiet exterior hid an inner strength?

Regardless, he had work to do. He couldn't allow himself to linger regardless of how off-kilter the interaction made him feel. He cleared his thoughts, gaze traveling to Takahashi who looked as insecure as he felt mere seconds ago. He doubted she could have experienced any of this, so her incredulous look was probably caused by Misaki-san's correct guess of their true nature.

"Uhm?" Takahashi asked, her tone betraying the utter confusion.

"They were players once, just like we are now," Akechi merely explained. "Or one might not have been, considering that Misaki-san didn't ask us about it as she had suspicions. It's Eri I presume."

"Okay, I bet you already know how we fix this entire mess, right?" She asked, her voice carrying an exhausted quality. "Go ahead, Tantei-san."

Again, that descriptor laced in the vocal equivalent of poison. He took off his glove and chanced a look at his hand. 305 minutes left, they couldn't dawdle anymore.

"We have to find the people that wrote those incriminating reviews and ascertain why they did such and convince them to change their opinion. Their status as a celebrity should make this much easier," Akechi merely said, fishing for his black player pin to begin scanning for any clues of their whereabouts.

"What do you mean change their opinion?" Takahashi asked, slight affront swaying in her voice.

Then the world tilted blue already and he could hear the thoughts of the people Dogenzaka as if they were different Tracks on an MP3-Player to listen to. 

_"Def Märch just isn't the same after 777 passed away. They used to be my favorite, too!" A young girl with quite an innocent appearance thought._

_"Would she think it's weird if we met up at Hachiko? Too sentimental? Desperate?" A young man, maybe a few years older than him, worried._

_"Chirper will have a field day with the new Feathermen Movie. It was so bad. Time to pull up the popcorn and watch strangers get angry on the internet." A teen with short red hair._

_"Ahhhh! I can't wait! Hana-chan's singing at A-East today, her voice is that of an angel!" A mousy looking man in his twenties._

Bingo. That was rather easy, to be honest. Almost too convenient.

_"I'm hungry, but people are saying the food here's shit," came another thought, this time a woman adorned with spikes and torn clothes that immediately outed her as a punk. "People like to whine about all kinds of shit tho, and that sheep mentality is getting worse by the day."_

The mission said, something about removing the discord here no? He could at least start with it. If it would have been possible to imprint in his former life, Akechi would have abused the hell out of this mechanic.

"Yeah, that sheep mentality is shit, why am I even listening to it? I should try out Ramen Don's" Akechi said, carefully wording his imprint in a way that could have come from her.

_"Yeah, why am I listening to it? I'm broke as fuck, though. Is it worth it?"_

"Food is food. I am hungry and if it is shit, I know because I tried it myself," Akechi kept going.

_"Yeah, I'm not gonna become some judgmental little sheep," she thought and entered Ramen Don's._

He smiled a little to himself and came back to the here and now. Takahashi was frowning deeply, but frankly. He couldn't bring himself to care.

"We're going to find one of our targets in A-East if you would follow me," he declared smoothly and lead the way.

He didn't have the time to deal with the mood swings of an immature teenager.

* * *

A-East had never been his favorite place to be in if he was to be entirely honest. A district filled with loud, tasteless music and louder tasteless people. Grey and dreary buildings shot to the sky and telephone poles and lines broke up the scenery with black jagged lines. However, if he wanted to catch Shimizu Hana before their timers ran out, he would have to find her now.

Careful, to keep the annoyance out of his expression, did he turn to see how Takahashi was doing. Of course, she seemed to be right at home, curious gaze flitting over the countless posters and lingering at a few that seemed to interest her. Then she deflated, caught his eyes, and trudged up to him.

"You probably wouldn't let me go to a concert this Thursday would you?" she asked, insecurity softening her voice.

"Would you want to die perhaps? I'd rather regain my life if it is all the same to you," he sighed, just a hair-breadth away from spitting venom.

"Honestly, I kinda don't get why we seem to be the only players even investigating this-. I dunno. We shouldn't be the only ones? They said there are others? Where are the others?" she asked, no one in particular.

"Doll, the evaluation round this game around was _brutal._ I'd wish I could say it was due to our interference, but alas nowadays the players seem just so weak, don't they, Hana darling?" answered a smooth, low voice from behind them, anyway.

It was also curious to note that said voice could go from honeyed to cruel and back again at the drop of a hat. No easy feat to accomplish, Akechi knew.

"Ughhhh, _yes._ It's soooo boring! Hi players! Congrats on surviving the first day ~. How's the game treating you?" chirped another.

At this point both Takahashi and Akechi had turned around, greeted by another pair. Reapers, if the charcoal-colored pair of spiderweb wings were any indication. One of them the Idol they were looking for, if the short red dress with the poofy skirt and the black fishnet all over it, was another.

The other person was harder to identify through clothing, ripped black jeans and a T-shirt adorned with some Anime Logo, Goro had only seen in passing, was not exactly a very unusual get-up for the general citizen. Even if the number of belts and zippers he wore made him look like he stepped out of a video game and the leather jacket like he was part of a biker gang. He had given them a very telling display of his vocal talent, however.

"Shimizu Hana and Kawaguchi Gin, I assume?" Akechi asked.

"The one and only," Shimizu announced while twirling, her wavy white hair bouncing with the exaggerated movement. "Ohhhhh, smart and pretty~. You're such a cutie, I bet you were a real heartbreaker in high school."

Kawaguchi chuckled low. "Oh yeah, I bet the detective prince broke a few hearts. Here to arrest us for lying, officer?"

"Will you shut up!" Takahashi growled. "Just take off the bad reviews and go on your fucking way. People's existences are on the line."

Suddenly the diplomatic way had gone down the train. Akechi had to resist the urge to facepalm, though he wasn't sure how well his pleasant mask was holding up at the moment. If Misaki-san was to be believed these people were dangerous and his lovely partner insulted them straight to their faces.

Thankfully all Shimizu did was giggle. "And aren't you feisty, sweetie? You have guts. I'm really, reeeally sorry though. I don't think I want to~. Now that's a problem isn't it?"

 _"I believe,"_ Akechi said, carefully polite. "This would impede the Game you are running. We need to clear today's mission, after all."

 _"Oh._ There must be a misunderstanding, officer. We don't care if you win or not. We're here to _score points,"_ Gin said, ominous.

"Excuse me," Takahashi murmured flatly.

"If you have a problem with it you'd have to take it upstairs. We're only the lowly underlings after all," Gin said serenely, before snapping his fingers. "How about this? If you survive this encounter we take the reviews off for you and even apologize. It was only a mistake, you see? Got the wrong Ramen Shops. Their meals are actually good!"

"And in the meantime! Let's have a little fun, shall we? This will be a show you two will never forget! If you live long enough to remember at least~," Shimizu added.

Their reality distorted once more as Takahashi and Akechi were pulled into another plane. As his sense realigned themselves Takahashi and Shimizu had disappeared, only leaving Kawaguchi with Akechi on the same layer of existence. The voice actor cracked his neck and fingers and he could only hear one thing in his head.

_"What the actual fuck, now."_

Despite the crass language Takahashi didn't seem particularly phased by the reapers trying to kill them both. Goro couldn't even think to reply as he dodged a sudden black silhouette appearing right next to him. All he could see were razor-sharp claws that cut through the air that was occupied by Akechi a mere second ago. Of course, of fucking course he'd fight a reaper that was able to make shadow versions of himself, the irony was ripe with that one.

_"You're fighting the Idol I'm assuming."_

_"She can fucking counter me with her singing, this is unfair. Just deal with your shit, okay? I need to focus," she whined and he could feel her frustration._

There was something else, but her frustration and hostile behavior only served to add to his own. Shadows sunk out from the earth surrounding the former detective and pouncing all at once. Akechi was dodging through the battlefield like a madman while activating the bullet pin when he could, and yet, all the black silhouettes he hit disappeared in a mere puff of black smoke.

He desperately scrambled to gain ground as he noticed a vibration that he could feel deep in his bones, paralyzing and painful and he almost choked on air. Deep laughter echoed from everywhere on the battlefield leaving him disoriented and confused. Smoky claws appeared yet again in his vision and if it weren't for the finely honed skills that he cultivated over years, if he hadn't rolled away in the last second he would have been cut into ribbons.

 _"What the_ ** _fuck_ ** _are you doing over there,_ ** _Takahashi!"_ ** _he screamed in his head._

_"I don't know. I can't do anything, I-, I don't want to kill you. I'm trying!" she blubbered, at the verge of a full panic attack now._

A low dark voice reverberated in a honeyed timbre across the entire plane and in Akechi's head.

"And here I thought one of the few pairs of players that made it to day two would provide at least a little bit of a challenge. How disappointing. Such terrible teamwork as well."

This, this pissed Goro off. The persona-user was fuming while he dodged the shadows and tried to find a weak spot in the enemy's attack pattern. Was it his fault that Takahashi was stubborn beyond compare? That she didn't do her job and hurt him with her incompetence as well? That he got saddled with someone weak?

At this point, another one of these painful vibrations shook him to the core and he stumbled and fell scraping his arms and being hit by burning claws. He wasn’t feeling well, even though he managed to stagger to his feet regardless.

And with that, he felt a surge of anxiety, of fear, of guilt. Especially guilt, running much deeper and on a much more existential level than was warranted for the situation. Guilt that he caused. Takahashi felt truly lost.

And he found the answer to his question. Akira had once said something to him, during a day on which he seemed more quiet and contemplative than most, almost imperceptibly sad. Goro asked and he saw the beginnings of a mask slip on his face before he saw Akira deflate and smile in an absent-minded, melancholic way.

He told him then that a leader was responsible for his entire team. Mused further, that they couldn't merely fill their position in battle, shout commands at the others and call it a day. Explained to Akechi how the leader had to reach out to all their members, help them grow, catch those that drifted away and redirect them safely. 

Back then, Akechi thought Joker was just getting insecure about his leadership skills. 

Later he saw how Akira had meant him in particular. 

Now it was practical advice.

The shadowed claw grazed him and the pain exploded at his side, but he couldn't care, not now.

_"Takahashi-san. I'm sorry. Listen to me. Calm down, it's not over yet,"_

_"Do you even mean it?" she thought and he could taste the psychic equivalent of a bitter laugh. "No, that's we're in battle. I-."_

_"We need to talk later. Now, how is she countering your music?"_

Though the attacks on Akechi weren't getting any less relentless Takahashi calmed considerably. Thankfully, since the lack of any sudden pain on his side meant that she seemed to be dodging now at the very least.

_"She's canceling it. Almost like she's suspecting it and, with her singing, it echoes back to me. It's hard to explain."_

_"Wait until she attacks you then. Counter as she has done to you. They underestimate us now. I am telling you she will go in for the kill. Make her stumble. Then. Attack. Back." he demanded._

_"Got it."_

He had to wait, though not for long. Melodies played in a harmony that Akechi would have found annoying in any other situation, but in this one meant that his partner was succeeding. Besides, something else was happening, the shadows were disappearing and Akechi could see his opponent for once.

_"Finally," he thought._

And then a happy little assortment of notes followed in an uplifting tune. Takahashi successfully finished a combo.

_"Finish him!" Takahashi called through their connection._

The power boost changed owners and their hopeless position. Akechi activated his barrier pin and barraged Kawaguchi with bloodlust and fervor, as the healing properties of the pin took effect. He laughed into the voice actor's face and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"IS THAT THE CHALLENGE YOU WANTED?!"

With that, newly forming shadows dissipated and he began to see the Reapers weakness. _Sound. Of course._

Takahashi even told him how sound must have been a part of today's mission and how her skill set would be useful. Akechi had to admit to himself that he had underestimated her. It never explained her grudge against him from the very beginning, however. They truly did need to talk.

Harmonies layered over each other as Akechi focused fire on his opponent, screaming gleefully to make the shadow selves disappear. It was truly rejuvenating. Kawaguchi widened his eyes and with a disorienting slam, Akechi was forcefully pulled out of the battleplane. Takahashi stood right next to him and while they looked worse for wear so did their opponents.

"Are you _making fun of us,"_ Kawaguchi growled, as Shimizu put a hand on his shoulder.

"No," she said with an amused upturn to her lips. "Did you forget that people get desperate when there's too much on the line, Gingin? Congrats! You did give us a workout~. How about you two get those problems sorted out, we'll prepare for your true power and we fight again! I'm actually looking forward to it now~. Sadly, I do have a concert to get to and need to look my best for it! We'll remove the reviews and issue an apology. Won't we Gingin?"

"We will. Let this be your warning," Kawaguchi said lowly.

"And do get to the noise in Dogenzaka. Don't forget you only did half of today's mission!" his partner called out joyfully.

She left with skipping steps for the stage, Kawaguchi closely behind. Akechi’s partner sighed very, very deeply, then and started walking in the direction of Dogenzaka.

"Let's go kill some noise."

Her words were spoken with simmering anger beneath them that Akechi could frankly relate to.

* * *

It was easier this time around, though something in their flow was still off and they both felt it. They exchanged the power boost with an off-kilter timing, barely communicated through their telepathic connection, if at all. All in all, their fights against the noise were less dominated by anger between them than the feeling of walking on eggshells around each other.

(They barely cleared the street of noise with the clock ticking at 2:42 minutes away…

Before the clearance of their mission and timers imposed sleep on them, their eyes met for the last time and the intention behind them was unavoidable.

_They needed to talk.)_

**The 2nd day**  
**“DISCORDANT HARMONY”**  
**CHAPTER CLOSED.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That said, I'm genuinely hyped for the new game. Maan, I haven't waited a decade like some other fans have, but I loved Twewy for quite a long while and this was a very unexpected, however pleasant surprise.
> 
> Still, the news from Twitter saddens me. I cannot comprehend how some people might think NEO:TWEWY is a Persona rip-off? Makes me feel like I'm part of the problem, honestly. Just, the fact that these two games which are JRPG's and set in modern day Japan have similarities always seemed obvious to me? Though, I shouldn't judge. Anyway, I don't want to ramble, I just hope posting this isn't insensitive of me.


End file.
